Junior Corps Surviver

You may not be able to get kicked out of the Hosuehold but you sure can get kicked out of The Way. They M&A but they can't be M&A'd. Cut it out. 

Dr. W, a Priest and a Rabbi are on a sinking boat. Priest gets out, walks on water to the shore and survives. Dr. W gets out, walks on water to the shore and survives. Rabbi tries it and drowns.

Priest says "We should have told him about the rocks'

Dr. W says "What rocks?"

Hardy har. Heard this joke a million times in TWI. To review. Dr. W is a diety, the Priest used a trick and the Jewish guy dies. None of this is a funny joke. This is an antisemitic joke. Funny how time reveals a different perspective. "At least the priest was a Christian."   

Thanks for the replies. Growing up in this cult really did a number on me. I was afraid to ask questions and instead of thinkign that was not OK, I thought I was being decieved by Satan and it was him who was putting the questions in my mind. Think about being 9 years old and thinkign Satan himself is weaponizing your thoughts as a way to attack the Way. It's soul crushing. I just wanted the devil to leave me alone. In reality the devil had no interest in me at all. ugh

Even as a kid this bothered me. Most Chritians take Genessi 1 as a linear account. Not TWI. If I remember correctly, the fall of lucifer comes up much later in The Bible.

Does anyone remember what logic or scripture was used to justify claiming that Lucifer's fall happenes between Genesis verse 1 and verse 2?

Also worrisome to me back then was that they taught us, correctly, that the serpent added a word, changed a word, removed a word to change what God meant. 

Then TWI  does the same thing saying that Genesis 1:2 "should" read "and THEN the earth was without form and void".

Where did this entire theory come from? 

These types of things bothered me then but I didn't dare ask. Now here I am 40 years later still pestered by these thoughts. I often come back to "how did anyone fall for this?"  

39 minutes ago, WordWolf said:

 

Whenever vpw visited a place, they assigned people to buy his creature comforts out of pocket (like bottles of Drambuie as one poster reported- their first experience buying alcohol.)  On top of everything else, they took up collections of nice, untraceable cash which was handed over to vpw in a bag. I'm sure he was happy not to report that to the IRS.   He also made no secret that he could-and did-  go to the twi treasurer whenever he felt like he needed some cash, and got it.   ALSO, a LOT of things owned by twi were reserved for his SOLE use, and he called them "MY STUFF."

 

If there is a "special hell" for child molesters and people who talk in the theater, I hope vpw gets imprisoned in its worst part.

He came to dinner at our house once. It was such a big deal and yes he got an envelope full of cash and Dambuie. He also did thtree things that would have put the rest of us in the reproof line; he drank and smoke at the dinner table, he had hus elbows on the table and was swearing his head off in front of my 5 year old wow sister, f bomb after f bomb. And we all smiled and thanked God for the privilage.  

Forgive me if this has already been discussed but i was talking to a friend from Junior Corps and she reminded me that I had said that this motorcycle was the frist time I thought TWi was being shady. It was either at The Rock or Corps Week. They had us all "give" (no pressure or anything lol) so we could buy a "surprise" gift of a motorcycle for VPW with a side car for his wife. I remember feeling ressured and lied to. How on earth was this going to be a surprise? With all the money we give, we have to give more so he can have a fancy bike? i brought it up at a Junior Corps meeting and was yelled at and sent to bed. Loudly being reproved for being right is a terrible way to raise a child.      

That's what I figured. Especially in light of some of my peers who had to go get things "taken care of".

This post got me thinking about something that's baffled me for decades. I often think about TWi when Chritians are so strongly pro-life. Other than The Way, are there any fundamentalist groups who are openly pro choice?  

This is not a post meant to debate abortion. 

I was a WOW in Dorchester in 1980 and then a WOW vet in Fall River in 81. I was a kid but am in touch with some of the adults from that time in my life.  

48 minutes ago, penguin2 said:

They did a Young Adult Rock maybe two years ago?  And they are having a Word in Culture Conference soon too.  Also, they tried to spin Jesus Revolution movie by saying Doctor was a vital part of it.

They had a young adult rock? They're making it seem like this is the reboot. 

I worked at a WOW Burger tent with Stevie Kay and a recent conversation had me look her up and we had a really nice conversation. But she doesn't seem to want to talk about it and I don't blame her.

As for "is it different now?". Probably not enough to make it right. They cling to VPW in an L. Ron Hubbard retro history way. The entire thing is  the house the foolish man built upon the sand. It was rotten for so long that being 'different now' is moot. The reason people don't leave is mostly fear based and that's not a good thing. 

They should make sure there's a bucket of condoms at the Young Adult Rock. 

I did a bit of a deep dive into these young people and many of them are the sons and daughters of old Way people. 3rd generation lifers, not new people. Word Wolf makes sense with his comment. I just want a Wow Burger.  

We used to get beer and Jack Daniels from a guy who worked Bless Patrol.  What a blessing. 

and they used old photos in the ad as if any of those people are still standing with them.

Did they forget that The Rock was a sex a thon and that's why they cancelled it? Ad is on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2pwIHkLABY/?fbclid=IwAR1-Il2YocWkNCA9wpIJOOMO3A4bs-aXtjbNve1_vEffmrHxv6mTraao27Q

2 hours ago, T-Bone said:

I was in Family 11…given my Roman Catholic upbringing which can make for a very sensitive conscience and the fact that I was so freaked-out-numbed by wierwille’s pajama party / porn video extravaganza – I was pretty much oblivious to any hanky panky going on…but there were a few times Tonto would make mention to me of suspecting certain couples of having an extramarital affair – and I would quickly blow it off in sort of a wierwille-esque-the-love-of-god-thinketh-no-evil-mind-numbing attitude  - which probably complemented some Roman Catholic ghost in the machine psychological defense mechanism to safeguard my mind against feelings and thoughts that were too difficult to cope with…Speaking now from a perspective of having removed the wierwille-colored-glasses   I don’t doubt there was hanky panky going on but to what extent I don’t know, because that was something that flew under my erroneously calibrated radar at the time…I don’t mean to come across like I thought was a goody two shoes since I never have cheated on my wife – but I guess I appreciate the moral code I grew up with – but more importantly I’m glad I left TWI while I still had a conscience…I’m human and just think the promiscuous and unprincipled mentality toward sexual matters that wierwille promoted to the way corps can wear anyone down if they stick around long enough…you play with fire you’re going to get burnt sooner or later.

The amount of adulatory that was going on is mind numbing. I have spoken to many friend's who's parents were involved in it. But what I saw first hand in residence was our teen slumber parties. Games of truth or dare that went too far. Which teens will do if they're unsupervised but that's the problem. We WERE supervised.  

23 hours ago, DogLover said:

I am just curious.  Does anyone know whether TWI has come out in favor of or against the COVID vaccine?

I am told by folks who are “in” that they have "not taken an anti vaxx stance". They’ve always been..., uh, pro choice. Your abundant sharing paid for some of those choices. 

Former Jr. Corps member Steven Perez of Family Corps 9 shared a photo album of his recent visit to the Indiana Campus in Rome City. Good stuff both photos and captions. 

 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=dtension&set=a.10161220720074418

8 hours ago, socks said:

In the Way of the late 60's, 70's witnessing was a mixed bag of helping people, making friends, sharing and teaching what the Bible says and specifically sharing "salvation through Christ". The primary tool of choice for teaching the Bible was PFAL and The Way 'Nash was the "church" that wasn't a church but a teaching ministry providing the structural pinnings for fellowship, worship, and social life - but hold that thought....

PFAL was not intended to be a tool to "just" do that - it was intended to be a tool to teach "the accuracy of God's Word", specifically the array of Dr. Weirwille's critical need-to-know topics  that were being "rightly divided" in PFAL. Many if not all of the fundamental creeds of Christian faith were redefined by this teaching - similar in face and look to some degree but fundamentally very different, to the degree that VPW didn't even want to call those who took PFAL "Christians", he socialized the term "Believers" into the Way's vernacular. His "students" BELIEVED, they lambano'd that stuff. (but it's smart to remember -  the first "believers" to be called Christians were a Gentile congregation in Antioch, evangelized and taught by Paul and his team and according to VPW were probably taught much the same things and ways as he himself was doing..... VPW liked to say it was because they were always talking about the "Christ in them" and did a kind of word-mash to get the term Christian buuuut...yeah. Anyway, he balked at the term to distance himself from the great unwashed masses of non grads of PFAL and did so at great harm to any effort to actually help others, IMO.)

So "witnessing" was essentially signing people up for PFAL classes. And I would argue it's not the worse time I ever spent in a metal chair, speaking for myself. PFAL establishes several things upfront - that the Bible needs to be viewed as a revelation from God, a product of inspired writing and expression. For the person who wants to know God and His intentions for mankind it is not just a book of myths and stories with a few parables thrown in. That with some rudimentary tools and guidelines (historical context, cultural context, language interpretation, chronology amongst others) the meaning of most of it can be understood, and much of that from reading it on face value. PFAL taught me that Jesus Christ once said He came to give life, "abundant" life, that life is beset by thieves who steal, kill and destroy - Christ came to give us Life, real life, and real Love.  I learned about the spiritual gifts and "manifestations" and most importantly that God works and wills in us today no differently than He did when Christ was alive and His followers lived. I learned about prayer and the value of a strong Christian social life with real relationships. I learned about Grace, and Mercy, through what Christ did. I learned how loving and kind Jesus Christ was to nearly everyone He dealt with and that even those who wanted to kill him answered to a greater God, just as He did. 

Now - PFAL taught a lot of stuff and after a few times and some study, I pretty much "got it". It's not a hard set of materials to master. The subjects, the contents, could and will take a lifetime to learn and apply and grow in - and I'd contend that the purpose of what we're taught in the Bible New Testament isn't to make us lifelong students who must be incessantly reminded of what we've learned lest we forget - and sure we all need to be refreshed and reminded of things - but the intention is for us to live the LIFE that God gives us through Christ and insodoing - live. Learn, grow and enjoy. The best way to stay on track in our new life is to mmmm......live in it. I don't look at it and want to be more like it - I'm "it". I just need to remember to be the Me God has made me. 

Now then to the question of witnessing - for me it was

1. share the knowledge of who Christ is and what He means

2. share specifics of how God wants us to live and what that life means and looks like

3. Guide people to the Bible which is where they'll learn more about all this

4. Sign 'em up! for PFAL!

As time went on I do think the goal of ONLY signing people up became part of the problem - yet even then all the years I was involved in the Way including the early years, the Corps and working there on Staff after, I was always compelled to HELP PEOPLE through my direct contact. 

Still and all, when I travelled with the Way the number one measure of success was the 'signed green card' - and unlike many of the more loud mouthed swaggering "leaders" in the Way who never left the comfort of a well organized meeting lectern or living room where they could pontificate and bloviate all night - I did sign up people for PFAL. LOTS of people and by traveling throughout the entire country, every major city and every place the Way had people large and small, over several years, I put my money where my mouth was and didn't just tell people what THEY should be doing and blaming them when they failed for not "BELIEVING BIG ENOUGH". 

My prayer is that in that effort they got enough of the love and learned what to do with it. It's been a long haul.  

 

I always felt like it was high pressure sales with quotas. Even in the 70's. Our hearts might have been in the right place but we would be in "trouble", especially as a WOW (twice) if we weren't constantly running classes. Hence the homeless, addicts and others who were there for the food and kisses. But that was my experience. 

Ah. by 88 I was gone. The revelation must have changed.

480 adults? That is unbelievable. Imagine thinking that this is the only real/best? I mean, come on. It's so good and accurate that it's a secret? lol 

I am also surprised, but shouldn't be,  that they peaked at 48,000. I was once told that the rock of A had 100,000 people. 

It's a trip to continue to find out that your childhood was even more of a lie than I thought. 

Thanks for the reply.  

I mean like really witness. We went door to door all the time. We stopped people in parking lots, supermarket and malls. We went to churches and tried to convert people. We left flyers on cars and bulletin boards. This was a touch way to grow up like when you knock on the door of a school mate or a teacher. Awkward. Between that and taking furniture from the trash, growling up way was a real damper on school/social life. Nothing like branding the new kid as the town weirdo. I have been wondering if they still recruit this hard anymore. We were aggressive, argumentative and could be quite rude. We also invited the town's addicts and drunks into our homes and would be surprised when the horn of plenty grew legs or when my wow sisters would get assaulted. Lots to process here. Sorry if I am rambling.      

Did it even exist on VHS? I have a beta copy but am not parting with it. God told me Beta is the way to go ;) 

59 minutes ago, Rocky said:

Advances the illusion that Wierwille/Martindale/Rosie had a valid and legitimate model for advancing godliness but just somehow made a mistake along the way and didn't know how to right the ship.

I don't believe that's what happened either in the beginning or at any time in the course of the cult's history. The social accountability was bass-ackward from the start.

The model in the book of Acts seems to have been having leaders be servants of and to the followers. TWI, from the start seemed to make the followers believe that they should treat the "leaders" like gods. That's why everywhere veepee and Loy went, branch and limb leaders collected extra cash from twigs/leaves to buy exorbitant gifts and collected the prettiest young women to present for the pleasure of the MOG.

That, to me (NOW) is so obviously at the core of the corruption of the organization's culture. 

All bow down. To Wierwille be the glory. That's not what they said, but it IS what they did.

We had to drop whatever we were doing and stand and clap when they walked in the room. That alone is insane. Stop eating, quit doing your home work, stop sitting...Craig is here YAY!

21 hours ago, Allan said:

And to think some of the Ar$ewipes are now starting 'same $hit diffen't day ministry' at Restoration and revival (including my bro-in-law)...hmmnnn...what are they 'reviving' I wonder ?!

Another re boot? Seems there's one every few years. Meet the new cult, same as the old cult. 

19 hours ago, Twinky said:

Oh, tell more!  When/what year was this?  (Do you mean, adulterous?  Nearly everyone, unfortunately, was adulatory)

LOL yes I did mean adulterous. Autocorrect strikes again.

I was out WOW when I walked into a certain Reverend fooling round with a 19 year old woman. I told my friend and he had seen them too. The Rev's wife was upstairs and Rev was in his office with his secretary, a new PFAL grad, "working on a teaching". I then found out from the child of this leader that this had been going on for a while. I sat on that information for a while. A few weeks later, that leader took the teen fellowship out for ice cream "his treat". He had me go to his office and grab some of the ABS to pay for the ice cream. I was taken aback when he told me to "grab a few hundred dollars". There were like 5 of us. We didn't need that much money for ice cream. When I went to get the money, the horn of plenty was not where he said it would be so I looked around and opened his desk and found marijuana and polaroid's of the secretary, nude.  After taking us out, he made a stop at Radio Shack and used the money to buy a car stereo. I couldn't deal with it anymore. Shortly after LCM came to the region for a meeting and my friend and I asked if we could speak to him. He said "yes". We told him what I just told you and he said "who the F do you think you are? You think God doesn't tell me what's going on? You think I don't know my calling? I don't see a 'reverend' in front of your name you fat little f***ot."

He was an inch from my face screaming at the top of his lungs. I was terrified. Then he told my mother, who gave me a beating and told her we are lucky he is letting us stay in the corps. I was 16. 

That was the beginning of the end for me. That summer was the Passing of a Patriarch. That was my last Rock. My mother was mad at me for months because I quit going to twig. Then was the truth started to trickle out she came around and we volunteered to DFAC. She herself was a victim of sexual assault by VPW, yet she thought I was making it up. How's that for brainwashed?